Long lines used in commercial fishing may have a length of several thousand meters. Handling of these long lines during baiting, laying out and drawing in has therefore traditionally been very labor-intensive. Accordingly, equipment has been under development for many years to mechanize this task.
Most of the systems for handling such long lines are directed to the problem of preventing the hooks and branch lines from becoming entwined. The main line is normally allowed to hang freely beneath the hook magazine. This arrangement is satisfactory if the main line is of a woven type. If, however, the main line is a single fiber line, i.e., monofilament, the traditional handling of these long lines is adversely affected to a considerable extent, particularly when the fishing vessel is subjected to heavy swells. This is because a monofilament line with a diameter of, for example, 2 mm, is relatively stiff and acts like a thin spiral spring which is pulled apart coil by coil during the laying out of the long line.
It has been shown, however, that the use of monofilament line is advantageous for fishing, particularly since this type of line does not absorb impurities and microorganisms. This, in turn, results in line not "smelling" in the water, and it is therefore more effective for fishing.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide means on a fishing vessel which allows simpler and safer handling of the monofilament line.